Fans from 67 countries have so far pledged to buy our new album via PledgeMusic. To say we are delighted is an understatement! The money raised so far has allowed us to make the firm decision that we will be able to tour in South America in May 2016 and North America in October 2016. We are booking the tour dates at the moment and we hope to be able to start announcing them within the next few weeks. Over the next few months, we will also be able to tell you about our ideas for touring in Europe in 2016 and more dates will be added. Keep an eye on www.marillion.com/tour for details.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your faith in us. Once again you are buying an album that we are still writing! The writing is going well. We are busy arranging songs at the moment in the studio and everyone is enjoying the process. We're confident we're on our way to an outstanding piece of work.

Some of you have questioned why the prices may be higher than a 'normal' CD - be assured that the money you spent on whichever format you choose (check out the PledgeMusic Page as there are many options), is not just spent buying the music - you are also contributing to a fund that will allow us to tour more extensively and to promote and publicise the album.

If you only want the music and don't want to be a part of this, we understand perfectly and we have made available cheaper options for you. Whichever path you choose, please know that you are part of "the first family" who brought the pre-order concept into the world. Together we did it first.

If you are purchasing one of the higher priced items then you are a prime mover in the process which makes it possible for Marillion to produce music which doesn't chase either the pop charts or the quick buck, but has taken time and care to bring into the world. As you can imagine, these albums can't be written or recorded quickly. Your faith makes it possible for us to move forward and hopefully make this music for years to come.

Thanks again and we will post updates on PledgeMusic and across social media until we have the music ready for you.

h, Ian, Mark , Pete and Steve

In Other News:

From The Racket Club Staff - On Monday October 5th, UK supermarkets will start to charge for plastic carrier bags - so save money and the planet by buying a Marillion shopping bag:)